


across the stars: a star wars story

by aralis_meunza, snippy-tano (gusyoubeautifultropicalfish)



Series: across the stars universe [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: And we give it to them, BAMF Clone Troopers (Star Wars), Canon-Typical Violence, Clones and Jedi deserve love, F/M, Follows canon until we say so, Zygerria Arc (Star Wars: Clone Wars)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:15:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29141370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aralis_meunza/pseuds/aralis_meunza, https://archiveofourown.org/users/gusyoubeautifultropicalfish/pseuds/snippy-tano
Summary: Meena Rhals has always been studious, bright and eager to learn all there was about the Jedi Order the Galaxy she was sworn to protect. But when the Clone Wars break out, she suddenly finds herself a Knight, serving in an army while leading a group of specialized clone troopers on sensitive missions. As she struggles to come to grips with leading a war as a peacekeeper, will she learn to separate her duties as a Jedi and her growing closeness with her clone Commander?Aela Rhals has always been a troublemaker, causing all sorts of chaos at the Temple before her big sister pulled her out. She’d garnered a reputation that she was actually quite proud of among the other padawans and younglings. But after the Battle of Geonosis and the loss of her Master, Aela finds herself a Knight, leading a squad of troopers on missions no one else wanted to take. As she fights in a war that’s already taken her Master from her, will Aela be able to protect her squad and her sister from suffering the same fate?This fic will follow canon until a very distinct point where one path with be a fix-it for canon and the other will allow events to unfold as is.
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Original Female Character(s), Original Clone Trooper Character(s)/Original Female Character(s), Original Clone Trooper Character(s)/Original Jedi Character(s), Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: across the stars universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138790
Kudos: 5





	1. The First Battle

**Author's Note:**

> All rights to Disney and Lucasfilm.
> 
> Plot and characters belong to us!

Padawan Meena Rhals had never been more frightened. 

One moment she was in her quarters at the Temple, studying for her upcoming Trials when her Master, Shaak Ti, burst in telling her they were leaving immediately. 

Then she blinked. 

And now she was standing in the shadows of an arena filled with clattering Geonosians while they waited for Master Windu’s signal. 

Her sabers felt heavy in her palms while her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest. Her breath trembled with every inhale and exhale. Master Ti had warned her that this mission would be dangerous, unlike anything she’d experienced before. She’d tried to calm Meena, offering her words of encouragement that did lessen her fears, but the moment they touched down on the dusty planet it spiked again. 

Meena could feel the energy on the planet growing as the events of the arena unfolded in front of them. Her fingers drummed anxiously against the cold steel of her sabers, the sound being drowned out by the uproarious crowd completely surrounding them. 

There was a crackle in the comm unit and she looked to Master Ti, who offered a gentle nod before stepping out into the light. Meena took a deep breath before she followed, blinking into the light. 

She’d always been in tune with the Force around her. 

Master Ti had said it was a special gift of hers. She had a strong connection to the Force that allowed her to _feel_ deeply. And it was because of this that she could feel the relief from the few Jedi already in the arena at their appearance, the wave of confusion from the natives, and the burst of anger coming from those near where Master Windu was.

She looked to her right and saw one of her creche members, Koh Ritrux, who had ignited his green lightsaber and gave her a nod. She returned it before looking back at the arena before them.

Meena had a bad feeling about this. 

She ignited her sabers and jumped into the arena, seconds behind her Master.

They were fighting the moment she rolled to her feet. 

She’d been in fights before, but this was different. Every second she was spinning, blocking shots from droids. Meena was leaping over Geonosians and swiping them down with a flick of her wrist. 

Her mind shifted to her younger sister, who was somewhere within this arena (or at least she guessed Aela would be there as nearly every Jedi available had been called to fight), also fighting a battle they’d never expected. She wanted to worry, to look, hoping to find her sister still alive and fighting. But she couldn’t.

Her concentration couldn’t waver for even a second, or it might spell her end. 

She dodged the blast from a droid and spun to block another when she saw Koh. 

And she swears her heart stopped.

Meena watched in horror as he deflected a blast, but didn’t see the approaching Geonosian from behind.

She tried to yell, but she was too late.

Koh was hit from behind, his scream mingling with hers as he fell to his knees. Meena surged forward, cutting off the head of the Geonosian bug with ease. It’s body hit the sandy floor but she ignored it and knelt beside Koh. She clipped one saber to her belt as she gently lifted his limp head into her lap. 

“Koh! Koh can you hear me? You need to stay with me!” She cried, feeling emotion surging in her chest.

Koh groaned, his head lolling to the side. His eyes fluttered open as he blinked up at the harsh light. The battle raged around them and Meena could hear more Jedi falling around them, feel the ripple of their lives across the Force that threatened to take her breath away. 

“I’m not - I can’t.” Koh gasped, his chest stuttering under her palm. 

“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay, I promise.” She said, feeling her throat closing as his life force continued to fade. 

“You - gotta go. Keep fighting.” His voice was growing weaker with every word.

“No Koh. Don’t talk like that. We’re both going to get out of here.”

Koh chuckled, but it shifted into a bone rattling cough. His green eyes fixed on hers and Meena froze. “You need to let me go. Go Meena. Fight.”

“Koh! Koh?” She shook his shoulder slightly, but he sagged against her, breath leaving him one last time. Koh fell still.

Meena took a shaky breath, brushing her hands over his eyes to close them. “Go in peace friend.” She whispered before slipping out from underneath him.

She rose to her feet, lifting her second saber and igniting it. Geonosian bugs noticed the light and turned to her with a hiss. Rage bubbled within her and she leapt at them with a growl. 

The battle became a blur once again as Meena wove through the dense crowd, cutting down Geonosians and droids with every swipe of her sabers.

It wasn’t until everything fell to a standstill that she realized just how hopeless all of this was. 

They were surrounded.

Meena liked to consider herself hopeful.

But staring down endless waves of droids and Geonosians didn’t look good. It was hard to be positive when you were staring death in the face.

It was only then that Meena hoped, no, prayed, that her sister had not come to Geonosis. 

Otherwise she just might be dead too.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aela’s day had started out like any other day. 

She went to early morning meditation with her Master (which she hated).

Then she had breakfast with her sister (which wasn’t bad, but she still hated _that_ she was awake that early)

Then she went to a lightsaber class with some of the younglings. Master Yoda had asked her to attend and she really couldn’t say no to him. But she did have to admit that she enjoyed working with her lightsaber, even if it meant teaching some of the bright-eyed younglings.

It wasn’t until Yoda cut the class short and Aela’s Master, Taro VeIn, dragged her away as she was leaving the room. He told her about a distress call to Geonosis and that was that.

The next thing she knew she was fighting for her life in an arena. Knowing her sister was probably out there too, but having no ability to even begin to try to find her in this mess. She couldn’t spare the slight distraction.

Her energy was nearly spent when the gunships landed around the arena, providing a little cover for the remaining Jedi. They had lost so many. Aela’s head swiveled around looking for any sign of her sister. She wasn’t sure she was even here, but everyone had been called to fight. 

“Aela!” Her Master’s voice broke through her thoughts. She snapped her head behind her to find him standing by one of the gunships continuing to block the incoming fire. “Return to the ship!” 

She nodded shortly and began her movement backward, continuing to focus on the mass of droids surrounding them. Meena would be okay. 

She had to be.

One of the Jedi helped her into the ship, her Master a few seconds behind. Then they were in the air, ascending through the sky and into more heavy fire. Aela finally had a chance to breathe and try and ready herself for whatever came next. Her mind kept wandering back to her sister. She wanted so badly to reach out and make sure she was on board one of those other ships.

“Do not worry, padawan.” A reassuring hand was placed on her shoulder. “I am sure she is safe.” 

Aela looked into her Master’s face and gave him a small smile before taking a deep breath. 

He was right. 

He was always right. There is no benefit in worrying her mind when she couldn’t control anything. 

The gunship flew over the Geonosian sands as it headed for the front lines. This battle was far from over. 

It was just starting actually.

The heavy cannon fire exploded around them and the gunship shook. Aela was a few seconds away from asking Master Veln what was going to happen once they landed but she was interrupted by an explosion hitting the front of the gunship. Aela’s grip on the overhead handles tightened as the gunship lurched sideways. 

Her stomach bottomed out as they began to fall.

The wind ripped at Aela’s robes as the gunship began to lose altitude very quickly. The smoky haze made everything hard to see as they plummeted to the ground. She finally caught sight of her Master who also was hanging on. He was staring at the fast-approaching sands before he looked up, locking eyes with her. 

He suddenly thrust out one hand and Aela felt a wave of the Force slam into her chest. Her grip on the handle released and she was sent flying backward out of the ship. She didn’t have time to think before she collided with the sand and rolled several times. Aela tried to force air back into her lungs but only began to cough when she inhaled sand. 

She heard an explosion and she scrambled to her feet and began to run up the dune that she had crashed into. Her feet sunk into the sand, making her already exhausted legs ache. Once she reached the top, she saw the crashed remains of the gunship at the bottom of the dune. 

Everything was on fire and the ship was fractured into pieces.

Her legs started moving as she surged forward down the hill. She fought against any pain of her landing as she stumbled down the sand. She couldn’t see any movement as she sprinted towards the broken ship. 

Then she saw the familiar brown robes of a Jedi and the breathing apparatus of a Kel Dor. 

_Master Veln._

He was laying among the wreckage and Aela was by his side in an instant. 

“Master!” Aela shouted as she moved pieces of the ship away from him. He was still breathing. His head slowly turned as she knelt by him.

“Padawan.” He spoke softly. Aela could sense the Force dimming around him. 

“Master, don’t go.” Aela fought back tears. 

“Aela.” His hand closed around hers, “You are strong, I have taught you everything you need.”

“No, I’m not ready.” She shook her head violently, holding onto him tightly, hoping that it would keep him with her.

“Yes, you are.” He said weakly. “Remember what I taught you, protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

He coughed one more time. Then his voice trailed off as his hand went limp in her grip. Aela felt the bond that she shared with her Master shatter in an instant.

It was worse than any pain she’d ever felt. 

It was like losing a limb. Or what she imagined losing a limb would feel like. There was a gaping hole in her chest. The Force around her suddenly felt dimmer, emptier, lonelier.

She gently rested her head on his chest and sent a quick prayer into the Force, her tears trailing down her dirty face. With her being stranded on Geonosis, there wasn’t much more she could do. Aela hoped that she’d find a way to bring his body back to Coruscant, so he could get the burial he so rightly deserved. 

But she couldn’t be sure if that would happen.

She had to assume this was going to be it.

“May the Force be with you Master.” She said quietly, her voice cracking. She reached up and wiped her face, taking her tears and some of the dirt with her hand. 

She heard a small groan of metal coming from the ship. Aela jumped to her feet and ran to the ship. Tearing at the metal, she pulled back a piece of the ship and revealed one of the clone troopers trying to climb out of the wreckage. She moved the piece further before offering a hand to the clone. He grasped it and she helped pull him out. 

“Are you alright?” Aela asked once they got clear of the ship.

“I’m fine,” He responded. “Thank you, sir.”

She nodded. “Are there any others?” 

“I don’t think so.” The trooper answered plainly. 

Aela took a deep breath. 

She had to keep going.

She promised she’d keep going.

“Can you call a transport?” Aela questioned softly.

“Yes, sir. I can try.” He said.

Aela nodded and he turned to call in. Aela looked back over to the wreckage and walked back over to her Master. His lightsaber was laying on the ground beside him. Aela gently grasped the cool metal and held on firmly. 

The trooper came over to tell her a ship was en route to their location. She gave one last look to her fallen Master before rising and going with the trooper to check the rest of the ship for other survivors. 

By the time the ship arrived, Aela and the trooper had confirmed that no one else had made it. 

Aela stepped into the other gunship and it pulled into the air. The smoke still rose from their crashed ship as she still looked down to where her Master lay. 

She clutched his lightsaber even tighter, feeling the skin on her knuckles crack. 

Aela had just lost her Master. She could only pray that she had not lost her sister as well.

Because she’s not sure she could ever survive that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! The first chapter is live!
> 
> This fic started as something my sister and I worked on just for fun. We were deep in quarantine and needed an outlet for our raging obsession with The Clone Wars. Originally we weren't even going to post it. But as we kept writing and evolving the story, we decided that we loved the character we'd created and wanted to give other the chance to fall in love them as we had. So without much further ado. 
> 
> Here it is! We hope you love the story and characters as much as we do!
> 
> Visit us both on tumblr @snippy-tano and @sexy-rexy


	2. Uncertain Grounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All rights to Disney and Lucasfilm!
> 
> Original characters and their plots are ours!

Meena was sure that she was going to fail her Trials. 

She’d done all she could to prepare, but there was a fear that had buried itself deep within her that made her think she was going to fail. She thought that her sister would pass with flying colors and she’d fail and be kicked out of the order.

That obviously didn’t happen.

It was hard, _extremely_ hard. The toughest thing Meena had ever had to do, but she did it. She came out the other end a fully fledged Jedi Knight.

It was nice to know her entire life hadn’t been a total waste.

Either way, she was surprised that almost immediately after her Trials and her Knighting Ceremony she’d been named a General and was going to be given a command. She supposed the Battle of Geonosis had kicked things into gear unexpectedly. 

After the Battle, things had progressed at an astronomical rate. Everything about what had happened spread through the Temple, and galaxy for that matter, like wildfire. And they were suddenly at war.

Meena found out about her new General status and was onboard a ship for Kamino the very same day. She had tracked down Master Yoda and asked him to tell her sister to comm her when she completed her Trials. The old Master had smirked (in a way he only knew how) and reminded her about her attachments. She’d barely opened her mouth to defend herself when he told her he would tell Aela everything. Meena bid him well and rushed off to catch her transport.

She’d barely made it in time and had gotten a stern look from the pilot. Meena ignored it for the most part. She only had time to throw a few of her robes, her comm link, and a small picture of her and her sister when they were younglings before she left. She made the transport. She may have jumped on moments before the ramp had closed, but she made it nonetheless.

Meena had quickly found herself a quiet place and settled into her meditation and research. 

She’d spent her whole life training to be a Jedi; training to be a peacekeeper. Not a General.

But here she was. 

Jedi General Meena Rhals heading for Kamino to meet with her new Squad. 

Force, she wasn’t ready for this.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As it turns out, the men of her squad were the best she could have hoped for. They’d seemed surprised when she marched up to them and asked them for their names and not their Trooper numbers. 

As it turns out, that was all it took for them to warm up to her.

Meena had her own reservations about the clone army. Not in the army and the men themselves. But in the order for the army in the first place, they didn’t ask for this. She didn’t like the idea of men being bred for the purpose of the war, only to be used as troops that could be replaced. These were men. Living breathing men. They deserved the same respect and quality of life she did.

She’d done her research on the clone army on her trip to Kamino. They were still relatively new to the war the Jedi were now leading, but in looking at the sheer numbers coming out of the planet, it had become clear to Meena that she had to do something to help the men feel like a unit, like individuals.

After a quick conversation and cup of tea with her old Master Shaak Ti, who had just been placed in charge of overseeing the training of the army, she’d gone to gather her men for their trip back to Coruscant. Meena had expected them to be deployed immediately, but the Council had asked her to return to the Temple with her men so she could receive her orders there. 

Their trip had been relatively uneventful. She at some point had lost track of her squad and found them near a bay window, looking out at space in the few hour trip. Apparently, they’d never been off of Kamino. Meena spent the rest of the trip answering their questions about the galaxy and the planets she’d seen. Their excitement was contagious and Meena found herself disappointed when she received the comm that they were dropping out of hyperspace and would arrive soon. 

Her men broke off to gather their things and prepare for landing at the promise that Meena would tell them more stories once she met with the Council.

Once they landed, her Commander, Archer, gathered her men and they headed to the ship they would soon call home and settle in. Meena promised she’d be back as soon as she could before she headed to the Temple.

The Council was in a meeting because it seemed they were always in a meeting these days. She waited in the hallway for about an hour before she was asked to come in. She’d stood in front of this Council many times before, but it still set her on edge.

“Masters.” She said when she reached the center of the room, bowing slightly.

“Good to see you, it is.” Master Yoda said. “A mission for you, we have.”

Meena nodded and Yoda turned to look at Master Windu. 

“We have reports of the Separatist’s mobilizing on Ajan Kloss. We’d like you and your new squad to investigate. If they’re building a base, we need to know so we can destroy it before it becomes impenetrable.” Master Windu said and Meena nodded.

“I will report to you with what I find.” 

_“May the Force be with you Knight Rhals.”_ Master Shaak Ti’s hologram said and Meena smiled softly before exiting the Council Chambers. 

She took a deep breath as soon as she was alone in the hallway. Meena let her body center itself within the Force before she sent up a quick prayer that her sister would do well in her Trials and left the Temple.

Meena was going to head to their ship, but decided to take a quick detour to the markets not far from the Temple. She had an idea and once she had an idea she couldn’t let it go. She only hoped the men would like it. 

Just as she was on her way back to the ship, she received a comm from Commander Archer.

_“General Rhals?”_

“How can I help you Commander?” She asked as she worked her way back through the busy streets.

_“We’ve finished preparing the ship. We’re awaiting your orders.”_

Meena smiled. “Excellent. I’m on my way back to the ship. We’ll leave as soon as I arrive.”

_“Understood General. See you soon.”_

They disconnected their comms and Meena continued to push her way through the crowds. She was about to leave the market when she saw something in a booth. She paused before a smile spread across her face. It was perfect. Hopefully they liked it.

Meena made it back to the ship a little later than she had expected, but the men didn’t seem upset, in fact, they were giddy with excitement over having a mission. She instructed them to meet her in the cockpit. She made a stop at her bunk and dropped her things off before heading to the cockpit. The men were already there when she arrived and snapped to attention when she walked in. 

“Please, at ease.” Meena said with a wave of her hand. “You do not have to snap to attention every time I walk in.” They all relaxed, but kept their focus on her. She took a breath. “We’re being sent to Ajan Kloss. There are reports that the Separatist’s are in the process of building a base there. Our mission isn’t to take the base, only to investigate these claims. Once I get the coordinates programmed, we’ll be leaving. It’ll take us a few hours to get there, so I suggest getting some rest.”

She paused. “Or, I have something for you, should you be interested.”

“General?” Commander Archer asked, sharing a look with his men who also looked terribly confused.

Meena smiled before stepping back out into the hallway and grabbing what she had originally gone to the market for. She set down the bucket and small bag in the center of the floor before standing up. The men continued to stare.

“I may not agree with the original order for a clone army to be built on moral grounds, but you’re here. And all of you are your own person even if you share DNA and a face. You’re all individuals to me and I want to make sure you get the chance to show everyone else that.” Meena paused and could tell the men were holding their breath. She reached down and opened the bucket. “This is paint. There should be enough for all of you. Paint your armor, your helmet, whatever you want. Make your armor your own. We’re a squad so we will all have the same color, but it’s _your_ decision to paint it how you want to.” She paused again before sighing. “You’re welcome to do it in here if you’d like, or in your bunks, or in the small mess we have. Let me know if you need anything.”

Meena stepped over the bucket and walked to the pilot’s chair and sat down, beginning to run her checks. She slipped on a headset and started plotting their course. 

“Sir?” She heard behind her and spun in her chair to see Archer. 

“Yes Archer?” Meena said and he took a breath before looking back at the men who were all huddled together behind him, waiting.

“Thank you.” He said and she smiled warmly.

“There’s no need to thank me. You all deserve to express yourself in your own way.” She said and he nodded, but didn’t move. “Is there something else?”

“Would you want to help us?”

An even broader grin spread across her face. “I’d love to. Let me get us off Coruscant and into hyperspace and I’d be more than happy to give all of you a hand.”

Archer nodded before turning back to the men who all began talking at once. Most of them started peeling off their armor so they could begin painting it. Meena swiveled in her chair and relayed to the spaceport that they were fueled and ready to depart. She received her all clear and gently lifted the ship out of the hanger and in line to leave the planet. 

She could hear the laughter of her men behind her and her heart swelled. 

The paint was an excellent choice and she couldn’t wait to see what they came up with.

Meena couldn’t believe how well her and her men got along. They were a perfect match.

By the time she’d made the jump to hyperspace, the men were all in their blacks and were already starting to either paint or talking about what they were going to do. Meena had slipped off her headset and turned her chair around. There wasn’t a whole lot of room on the floor, so she stayed in her chair, but allowed herself to slump into a more relaxed position.

They’d picked up almost instantly that she was done for now and she was pulled into discussions on designs immediately. Meena offered some suggestions and before long, all the men were painting. As they painted, they took turns telling her (and each other) how they’d either gotten their names or why they’d picked them. Each story was just as fascinating as the next and some of them were downright hilarious. 

Meena couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed that hard. 

They’d even asked her a few questions, which she was open in answering. She’d learned most of them had never met a real Jedi before, so they had questions about what it meant, what she did, how she became one, and so on. Meena didn’t like talking about herself, but these were her men and she didn’t want to keep things from them, so she didn’t mind telling them anything they wanted to know. 

At some point, her comm went off and she picked her way across the room to take it in the hallway, barely avoiding stepping on wet pieces of armor. She hit the button as soon as the door slinked shut behind her, cutting off the bright voices of her men.

She definitely didn’t expect to see who was calling her.

“Master Kenobi.” Meena couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice and the red-haired man chuckled softly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

_“Knight Rhals. I just wanted to check in on you and your men and see how everything was going.”_ He said and Meena hesitated for a second. They’d hardly ever really spoken, so this was strange, but she answered honestly.

“Everything is going great Master. I think my squad and I will get along just fine.” She said and Master Kenobi crossed his arms.

_“I am very pleased to hear that. I must confess that was not the only reason I called.”_ Meena didn’t speak and he took that as a cue to keep talking. _“I just wanted to let you know that Aela has passed her first three Trails. We should know very soon if she will pass the last two.”_

Meena let out a breath. Her sister was fine. She was still on track to pass. Guilt continued to eat away at her insides, but at least her sister was still going strong. 

“Thank you Master Kenobi. I appreciate the update, truly.” 

_“You’re very welcome. I know you’re about to arrive for your mission, but I will try to reach you once your sister is finished with her Trials.”_

Meena forced herself to take a deep breath. “Thank you.”

_“I’m happy to help. May the Force be with you.”_

“And with you Master.” 

The small blue hologram of Master Kenobi disappeared and Meena was alone. She allowed herself a few moments before she turned to head back into the cockpit. 

But as soon as she opened the door, she regretted it.

There was a shout and something wet hit her forehead, just along her hairline, and began to drip down her face. She couldn’t help the gasp she sucked in when she was hit and the men in the room froze. Meena slowly opened her eyes and reached up to touch the wet spot on her face with her fingertips. She looked at her hand and saw purple paint. 

Meena fought the smile threatening to escape as she took a sweep of the room. All of her men were frozen, their wide golden eyes fixed on her. But out of all of them, Ringo, their medic, looked the most pale. 

She narrowed her eyes and her fingertips twitched. A glob of paint from the nearly empty paint bucket flew out and collided with Ringo’s nose. He fell back onto his hands before brushing paint out of his eyes. Ringo looked at her and finally saw the smile creeping up at the corner of her mouth. 

He lunged for the bucket at the same time Meena leapt over armor and ducked behind her Commander, who just happened to be the closest to her. The rest of the men seemed to recover and lunged for the paint can. Archer held up his arms to keep himself from getting hit in the face while Meena laughed, hidden behind him.

“Not fair!” Archer shouted over the ruckus the men were making and it only made Meena laugh harder as the men continued to throw paint towards their General, while their Commander took it all instead. 

Archer lurched forward and Meena squealed as she narrowly dodged paint that had been flung at her. Her Commander reappeared in front of her and she barely had time to think before he spun and jumped for her. Her hands grabbed onto his arms as she tried to hold him and his paint-filled hands back. 

The men had turned their attention away from their Commander and General and were now attacking each other. Archer’s hand managed to get her nose, mouth, and cheek and she let out another gasp. A glob of paint met its mark on the front of her robes, but Meena couldn’t seem to bring herself to care. 

The energy in the room dissipated soon after. Meena let go of her Commander’s arms and fell onto her back on the cool floor. She was out of breath and her face burned with what she was sure was a blush. She turned her head and looked at her men, all of whom looked just as flushed as she was. 

Something beeped on the console and Meena forced herself to climb to her feet. She stepped over Archer and Dev (who was laying sprawled out on the floor like she had just been) and plopped down in the pilot’s seat. 

“We’re almost ready to drop out of hyperspace.” Meena spun in her chair. “Go ahead and clean up. Hopefully your armor is dry because we’ll be landing planetside very soon.”

She turned back around as the men all got up, grabbed their armor, before disappearing from the cockpit. She was alone again. Meena got up and looked through some of the storage bins. She managed to find a cloth that looked relatively clean and brought it back to her seat. She grabbed her canteen of water and poured some on the cloth before trying to get some of the paint out of her hair. She’d really like it all off, but she’d settle for just her hair if she had to.

Meena kept working to get it out of her hair while keeping an eye on the ship. She finally gave up when the cloth was more paint that cloth, tossing it aside. 

“Need some help?” A voice behind her said and Meena jumped slightly before turning. Commander Archer was standing at the door. He was clean of paint and was already dressed in his newly painted armor. She smiled slightly. The paint was a really good idea.

“I’ve just given up. It doesn’t want to come off and I can’t see what I’m doing.” Meena said, motioning to the discarded cloth as Archer stepped inside, the door sliding shut behind him. “I’ll just be covered in paint for the foreseeable future.”

Archer waved another clean cloth before dropping to one knee in front of her. “Ringo feels bad about unintentionally starting the paint fight. I caught him still covered in paint on his way here to bring you this cloth.” Archer used her canteen to get some water on the cloth as he talked. “I sent him to wash off his own paint and told him I’d pass along that he was sorry.”

Meena shook her head. “He has nothing to be sorry for. That was probably the most fun I’ve ever had.” 

“Me too.” Archer said before reaching up and beginning to dab the paint off of her forehead and hair. They fell into a comfortable silence and Meena felt herself relaxing. He was definitely doing a better job than she was before she gave up and he was extraordinarily gentle. At some point his other hand had come up to grab her chin gently to keep her head from moving and her heart raced, for reasons she really didn’t know. 

Once he got all the paint off her forehead, he paused. “I have some room left on this cloth, it won’t get all of it, but I can get some more off. Any particular spot you definitely want cleaned?” 

Meena lifted her hand that was still covered in paint and gently poked around her face. Without thinking, she licked her lips and her face instantly contorted. “Oh ew, gross.” 

Archer laughed lowly before getting the cloth wet again and beginning to dab around her nose and mouth. He finished and took a breath before standing up. 

“You still have paint on you, but at least it won’t hinder you.” He said and Meena rubbed at her face, feeling the paint still spread across her cheeks and neck. She glanced down and saw some had splattered across her robes and noticed a sideways handprint half on her collarbone and half on her robes. She looked up at Archer with narrowed eyes. 

He cleared his throat. “Sorry about that General.” 

Meena smirked. “It’s fine. It was war after all.” The console beeped behind her and she turned. “We’re ready to exit hyperspace. Have the men prepare to land and send Mack up here.”

“Yes sir.” Archer said before disappearing out of the cockpit. Meena took her seat again and slipped on the headset. She’d just finished prepping the ship when Mack strode in. 

“Yes General?” He asked and Meena spared a glance over her shoulder.

“Take a seat Mack.” She said and he sat down in the co-pilot’s chair, more stiff than she had expected him to be. “Have you ever flown before?” 

“Uh no sir.” Mack said. “I’m a mechanic so I understand the machine, but I never learned how to fly.”

“Well, I can fly the ship on my own, but I think it’d be a good idea for you to know some basics just in case.” Meena said before glancing over at Mack who looked surprised, but nodded. “Alright, so the first thing we’re going to do is check our drop point for when we leave hyperspace-”

As Meena went through the steps and explained them, Mack followed along. She was flying the ship, but he was mimicking her movements and asking questions. He may not have learned to fly, but his technical knowledge gave him an edge. She was sure it would take a few lessons and some practice, but he’d be a great pilot. 

With Mack’s help, Meena found a place to land that was close to the supposed Separatist base while keeping their distance to avoid detection. They landed early in the morning and Meena powered down the ship as Mack went to help gather supplies. Once she was finished, she made a stop at her bunk and grabbed a pack. She shoved in her Jedi cloak, a few ration bars, her canteen (which she had refilled), her scope, and her spare comm unit. 

Meena left her bunk and met her men in the bay of the ship. She had seen them in full armor when she first met them, but this time their armor was covered in purple paint, marking them as part of a squad and their individuality. She smiled softly when she saw them.

“Looking good boys.” She said and they cheered. “Now, our mission is to locate a Separatist base. We received intel one was being built here. Our mission is strictly recon. We’re to locate the base, get as much information as we can without entering or being spotted and report back. We have a bit of a walk ahead of us. In order to stay off their radar, we had to land far away. It’ll take us a day to walk there. Odds are we’ll have to camp on the planet for a night so I hope you boys aren’t afraid of the dark.” Meena joked and the men continued to listen. “This is our first mission together, but I’m confident in your abilities. Now, we better get walking. The sooner we make it to this base the sooner we can complete our mission.”

And as they departed the ship and began their trek into the green foliage, Meena couldn’t help but think of her sister. She really hoped she forgave Meena for not being there. But the sooner they finished this mission the sooner she might be able to get back to be there for Aela. 

By the time night fell, they were only a few klicks from the supposed base. The squad found a clearing at the base of a cliff that could provide them some cover and give them the chance to get some rest for a few hours before they scouted out the base. 

Dev and Chip got to work making a small fire while Archer, Gunner, and Mack scouted around them to make sure nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Meena offered to help Ringo repack his medical supplies and he had agreed. She guessed he had said yes so he had the chance to apologize, which he did. But she brushed him off, telling him what she told Archer, it was the most fun she’d ever had. Ringo had loosened back up after that and the pair began exchanging the worst jokes they could think of. By the time everyone made it back from their jobs and the fire was raging, Meena and Ringo were in stitches from laughter. 

They all shared the warmth of the fire and had a ration bar before agreeing on shifts to get some sleep. The plan was to scout out the base in the middle of the night, so they decided half of them would get a few hours of sleep then they’d switch with those who had the first watch. Meena had originally planned on just staying up through both shifts, but Ringo had all but shoved her towards an empty place on the forest floor and insisted she get some sleep too. She could tell he’d be the biggest pain in the squad.

But she was really tired (not that she’d ever tell Ringo that). 

Meena pulled out her Jedi robe she had just gotten a few days prior and curled in on herself. The forest floor was hard and lumpy, but she found herself drifting almost instantly. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

_Meena was out of breath._

_Her whole body ached more than it ever had and she felt like her head was going to explode. Her training had been rigorous and she was used to being exhausted, but this was a whole other level. Meena was dead on her feet._

_But she found some strength somewhere and forced herself to raise her sabers and charge the droids. Meena let her instincts take over and she swiped and dodged, not letting the fatigue slow her. The last droid fell to the ground, cut in half by her sabers and still red hot._

_Her whole body shook as she stood there and waited. She didn’t know if it was over. She wasn’t going to let her guard down._

_“Well done Padawan Rhals, you have passed your Trial of Skill.”_

_Meena let out a shaky breath and let her head fall. One down, four to go._

Her dream shifted.

_Meena was sitting cross-legged on the floor. Her Master, Shaak Ti, was sitting across from her, watching. Meena let herself fall deep into her meditation, knowing her Master was there meant that she wasn’t afraid. She trusted her Master completely. This was the hardest Trial, but she had support should she need it._

_Her mind was blank and she felt herself slip into her subconscious, much deeper than she had ever dared to go before._

_When she knew she was ready, she opened her eyes._

_Meena was standing on a far off planet, Naboo, her home. She looked around her, trying to make sense of why her mediation brought her here._

_She heard laughter and turned. Meena watched as a small family ran joyfully through the large trees, splashing in the shallow water. It wasn’t just a random family and this wasn’t a vision, this was a memory._

_She watched as her father and mother chased her and her sister. Meena and Aela giggled and screamed as their parents chased them. She smiled at the memory, but something tugged at her brain. Why was she seeing this happy memory?_

_Meena blinked and it was dark. She looked around and her family was gone. That’s when a scream tore through the air. Meena was running before she could even determine who it was. She entered a clearing and frantically looked around. She saw her mother standing with her back to her._

_“Mother?” She said softly and her mother didn’t react. Meena took a step forward. Her mother spoke._

_“How dare you leave me alone.”_

_“Mother? What-”_

_“How dare you leave me alone to die!”_

_Meena’s heart clenched. “I don’t understand. What do you-”_

_Her mother turned and Meena nearly passed out. It was her mother, but she had a gaping hole in her chest. She could see her heart still beating._

_“You left us here to die!” Her mother screamed before lunging for Meena. She threw up her hands to protect herself, but nothing came._

_Meena opened her eyes again and she was now standing on the roof of the Jedi Temple._

_Wind whipped her robes and hair around her. Meena turned, trying to see why she was here, brushing aside her hair._

_“You could have saved me.”_

_Meena turned and her blood ran cold. Aela was standing not far from her, a dark black cloak snapping in the wind._

_“Aela. I didn’t-”_

_“YOU LEFT ME!” She screamed before igniting a red lightsaber and lunging. Meena barely had time to dodge, pulling out her own sabers and igniting them._

_“I won’t fight you!” Meena shouted and Aela only snarled before attacking again._

_They became a flurry of clashing sabers. Meena only barely staying ahead of Aela who was trying to kill her with every swing. She dodged and deflected, but never tried to hurt her sister._

_That’s when Aela got the upper hand. Meena lost one of her sabers, it clattering to the ground on the other side of the roof. She didn’t have time to use the force to call it back to her because Aela was already attacking. Meena could fight just as well with one saber, but it wasn’t her favorite._

_Their sabers collided and Meena struggled to hold back her sister’s blade. She looked into her sister’s eyes and instead of seeing her blue eyes, she saw only yellow. Aela shifted and pain erupted across Meena’s shoulder. She screamed as her sister pushed her red saber into her arm, scorching it._

_Meena managed to push her sister away and fell to her knees. Her left arm was basically useless. It all felt so real. But it couldn’t be real. Could it?_

_Aela stalked nearby, waiting for Meena to get back up. She debated giving up and not fighting her sister, but decided that she couldn’t give up. Not when her sister’s life hung in the balance._

_Somehow, Meena found the strength to stand._

_Aela snarled and lunged._

_Meena saw the opening and she took it._

_The next thing she knew, her sister was in her arms with a blue lightsaber going straight through her middle._

_All at once everything came rushing back to Meena. She hadn’t meant to kill her. Only to knock away her sister’s saber. How had she gotten it so wrong?_

_“Meena?” Aela said and she sobbed. She was looking into her sister’s blue eyes again. Aela collapsed and Meena caught her, despite her shoulder screaming at her. She eased her sister to the ground and cradled her head in her lap._

_“No, Aela I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.” Meena whispered over and over again, rocking back and forth. Tears streamed down her face and she prayed to every god she knew that this wasn’t real._

_Meena held her sister as she breathed her last breath._

_Meena screamed._

_She fell forward only to be caught. Meena opened her eyes and saw her Master Shaak Ti leaning above her, talking. Her mouth was moving, but she couldn’t tell what the togruta was saying._

_“-ever happened before? To be injured during a Trial of Spirit? Does this mean that she has completed Spirit and Flesh?” Her Master was saying to someone._

_Meena’s vision tunneled and faded. Aela._

Meena bolted upright with a gasp, clawing at her chest as she struggled to breathe. Everything was suddenly too hot and too loud. 

“Woah! Hey! It’s alright!” 

Meena blinked away the blurriness of her eyes as she tried to breathe and figure out where she was.

Fire. Men. Sleeping. Mission. Separatist Base. Trials over.

Someone entered her field of vision and she blinked. Archer. Right. Commander Archer.

She still couldn’t breathe. Why couldn’t she breathe?

“Hey! Look at me alright. Breathe with me.” Archer grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. Her hand rested against fabric. Why wasn’t he wearing his armor? Did something happen? “Focus on me General!”

She forced her eyes to meet his and focused all of her attention on matching the slow steadying breaths he was taking. After what felt like hours, Meena was breathing normally. Her chest ached and her shoulder _burned._

“You’re trembling.” Archer whispered before turning. Meena followed his gaze and saw all of the men asleep except for Gunner who was watching with a worried look on his face. “Find an extra blanket in one of the packs.” 

Gunner nodded and stood up, quietly picking his way across their makeshift camp. Archer turned back to her and watched her with concern etched across his face. Every shiver made her body hurt that much more. She drew her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hoping the shivering would _stop._

Meena’s mind was still racing. She kept reliving all of what she’d seen and experienced and just wanted it to stop. 

Gunner returned moments later and handed Archer a blanket. It was draped over her and she closed her eyes. She heard Gunner sit down beside her. Tears pricked at her eyes. 

_She_ was supposed to be their General. _She_ was the Jedi Knight. _She_ was the one who needed to be strong and help others. _She_ was weak.

“Whatever it is you’re thinking, you’re wrong.” Gunner said softly and Meena inhaled sharply. Archer tensed beside her. “I know you don’t know any of us, not really, but that doesn’t matter. We’ve got your back General, no matter what. Things have happened to you that have changed you, and it’s okay that sometimes it becomes too much. It’s okay that sometimes you need someone to help carry the weight. Because we’re here to help you do it.”

Meena fell still. 

Ever since she was a child, she’s had her sister. They went through everything together. They always had each other’s back no matter what. Meena was there when Aela woke up in the middle of the night crying because she missed their parents. Just like how Aela covered for her on the days she needed to escape just to feel like she could breathe again. It’s always been them. The two of them.

Except things were changing. 

Meena had just turned 23. She was young. Yet she’d already been through so much. And now she was a General in an army, leading men into battle. And she was without her sister. 

Except. Not according to Gunner. 

Meena had her squad to watch her back. She’d do anything for them, she already knew that. And she was starting to think the same went for them and their desire to help her in any way they could. She just had to learn to trust them and lean on them. 

Starting now.

“I had a dream about my Trials.” Meena said and the two men awake remained silent. All they could hear was the soft cracking of the fire and the bugs in the woods around them. “I wasn’t supposed to go through them as early as I did, but the Battle of Geonosis meant the Republic needed the Jedi to fight. So I went through my Trials early.”

“What happened?” Gunner asked softly and Meena took a shaky breath.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about it let alone if I’m even allowed to talk to anyone outside of the Order.” Meena paused. “I’m sure the wounds will heal soon, but it’s barely been a week and here I am, already fighting in the war. And my little sister, who I promised I would be there for when she went through her Trials, is at the Temple, doing them alone.”

Meena took a shaky breath. She’d barely had time to process her own Trials, she couldn’t imagine what her sister was feeling. Thinking about it made her stomach churn with guilt.

“Well, for what it’s worth, the fact that you went through your Trials anyway and managed to pass them without much preparation means a helluva a lot in my book.” Gunner said and Meena smiled softly, looking over her shoulder at Gunner.

“Thank you Gunner. That means a lot.”

“We’ll get you back to your sister.” Archer said and Meena turned to tilt her head over to her Commander. “We know the importance of being with and protecting our brothers. You’ll get back to her.”

And for the first time in a week, Meena felt like she could breathe. The knot she’d been carrying in her chest since she was Knighted and immediately sent on a mission loosened. The tension in her shoulders relaxed. Her head felt heavy and her eyelids drooped. 

“Thank you both.” She muttered before sinking back to her small space on the ground. But this time she wasn’t worried about the nightmares. Because even if they came, she’d chase them away knowing she had backup in the form of her squad. 

Meena woke feeling more refreshed than she had in weeks. 

Her eyes fluttered open and she saw that it was still dark. It took a minute for her vision to adjust, but when it did, she saw that most of the squad was still sleeping. She heard a soft snore behind her and tilted her head to see Archer. Even he was fast asleep.

When Meena fell asleep, Archer must have moved closer but didn’t dare to touch her in any way. The mere thought that he’d consciously (or even subconsciously) moved closer to her as a way to be a comfort meant a lot to Meena. His hand was centimeters from hers and a small smile spread across her face.

“Comfy?” Someone said and Meena turned to see Ringo watching her with an amused look on his face. 

“Can I help you, Ringo?” She said and he chuckled softly, as not to wake anyone else.

“You know I had to threaten him with a sedative to get him to go to sleep.” Ringo said and Meena turned her head to look at Archer. He was leaning against a rock with his head tilted to the side and back. His mouth was open slightly as he softly snored. She found it incredibly endearing. 

“Doesn’t surprise me.” Meena said, letting her head fall back to rest against her arm.

The pair fell silent.

“Gunner didn’t tell me what happened and I didn’t ask.” Ringo said and Meena felt a pain in her chest. “But I am this squad’s medic and it’s my duty to make sure everyone is okay, including you General.”

He sighed. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but it’s important that you talk to someone, more specifically a medical professional. We haven’t had time to do this, but I hope that after this mission we’ll have some downtime so I can run a full medical profile on everyone, including you. I need to know as much as I can so I have all the information if someone were to get hurt.” Ringo looked up and met Meena’s eyes. “You don’t have to tell me everything, just trust me to be able to help you.”

Meena let out a breath slowly. “I trust you Ringo. What you want to do is important and as much as I don’t want to do it, I will. There’s just some things I think are better kept quiet.”

Ringo raised one hand. “And that’s fine. If you tell me something you don’t want anyone else to know about, as a medic, I won’t say anything. But I need you to be straight with me.”

“I think I can manage that.” Meena said with a smile.

“Good because you don’t get a choice.”

Meena let a small bark of laughter escape and Ringo smiled. 

“Well General, I think it’s time to go stake out that base if you’re feeling up to it.” Ringo said and Meena took a deep breath. Her hands still felt shaky, but her mind felt clearer than it had in awhile.

“I’m ready.”

“Good.” Ringo said before standing up. “You wake up Commander-sleepy-head and I’ll get the rest of these nerf-herders.”

Ringo didn’t wait for her reply, only started walking around the camp and ‘lovingly’ kicking the rest of the squad in their sides. Grumbling and curses filled the air and Meena relished in it for a moment before turning and looking up at Archer who was still fast asleep. 

“Hey, Archer, wake up.” Meena spoke softly, but he didn’t budge. She shook his leg with no avail. She rolled over completely and poked him in the side a few times. “Archer!”

He jerked awake, grabbing onto her hand and looking around frantically. Archer blinked a few times before he focused his gaze on her. 

“Good morning Commander.” She said and he blinked again.

“Uh good morning General.” He looked around as the rest of the men were slowly waking up. “Are we leaving?”

“Yes. We’re getting ready to head out.” Meena said and he nodded once before rising with the rest of his men.

Meena sat up, her back aching slightly from sleeping on the hard ground, but nothing she couldn’t work out eventually. Her left shoulder still burned, but it was growing less and less by the second. It wouldn’t interfere with their mission.

The squad packed up their camp relatively quickly. The fire was put out and all traces of them being here were erased. When they finished, they set off back into the woods, moving slowly and staying together.

The closer they got to the base, the more agitated the men became. It was their first mission working together, but it was also her men’s first mission. She’d been on a few diplomatic trips and in semi-dangerous situations with her Master while she was still a padawan, but she’s never fought in a war. 

They approached the base from the south, using the cover of the hills and trees to remain hidden. Meena motioned the men to stop and dropped low. They followed her lead and ducked behind trees. She motioned for Archer and Gunner to follow her as she slowly crept up the hill. When she neared the top, she dropped to her hands and knees and climbed. 

Meena peered over the edge of the hill to look at the base and her mood instantly soured. 

“That’s a kriffing droid factory, not a simple communications base.” She breathed to Archer and Gunner as they crept up beside her. Archer pulled out his scope.

“It doesn’t look like it’s completely operational yet, but it won’t be much longer.” He said before turning to look at Meena. “I know we were only supposed to observe, but if this base becomes operational, it’ll funnel millions of droids into the Separatist army within the month.”

Meena cursed under her breath again before sliding down the hill a bit. Archer and Gunner followed, staying low. She pulled out her spare comm unit and sent a request to the Council. Surprisingly, they answered almost instantly.

_“Knight Rhals, have you located the base?”_ Master Windu said and Meena bit back her initial retort. 

“Master Windu. Not only have we located the base, but we have determined that it is not a Separatist base.”

Master Windu shared a glance with Masters Yoda and Kit Fisto who stood beside him. _“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”_

“It’s a droid factory, Master Windu. One that will be fully operational within hours.” She said with a little bite.

_“A turn of events, this is.”_ Master Yoda said. _“A battalion, we will send.”_

“With all due respect Master Yoda, I don’t believe a battalion will make it here in time.”

_“And what would you propose, Meena?”_ Master Fisto said and Meena paused.

“My squad is here. We can disable that base before it becomes operational.” She said and the three masters shared a look.

_“Dangerous, this will be.”_ Master Yoda said.

“I understand, but you trusted me with this command. Let me use it.” Meena said and they paused again.

_“Trust in you, we do.”_ Master Yoda said and Meena let out a breath. _“Send the 104th battalion, we will. Disable the base, you must. Bomb the base, the battalion we send will.”_

“Yes Master Yoda.” Meena stated. “I will comm you when the base is disabled.”

_“May the Force be with you.”_ Master Fisto said and she returned the sentiments before clicking her comm off. She turned to Archer and Gunner who had remained silent the entire time.

“Are you ready for this? I know it’s not our intended mission, but it’s what we need to do.” Meena asked and the two men shared a glance.

“We’ve been itching to destroy some clankers.” Gunner said and Meena grinned.

“Well then, let’s go tell the boys the good news.”

The three of them made their way back down the hill as quickly as they could and explained everything to the rest of the squad. All of them were on board with the new mission and Meena couldn’t be prouder. It was decided that they would be more effective if they split up.

Archer and Gunner would take Ringo and Mack with them and lay as many explosives at key points in the base as they could before getting out of there. Meena would take Chip, Tank, and Dev. The four of them would make their way to the control room and get as much intel as they could before getting out. The goal was to get in and out before anyone even noticed they were there. 

The men said their quick goodbyes before they split up. 

Meena and her small group were heading for a small door on the side of the droid factory she’d spotted at her first look of the factory. The other group would loop around to the back and enter through their airstrip, hopefully stealing them a ship on the way out so they could get to their own ship faster.

They moved through the halls quietly and carefully. The factory was crawling with droids and they had a few close calls, but thankfully made it to the control room without being spotted.

Which meant they were now at the tricky part.

Meena and her half of the squad were hiding in a small side hallway near the entrance to the control room.

“Any idea how many droids are in there?” She whispered to Chip who was tapping away on his datapad that he had plugged into a port in the wall. After a few moments of clicking, a live image of the control room appeared.

“I count twenty.” Chip said, looking up at her. She chewed on her lip as she thought of a plan. They needed to get in there, but it was imperative no one knew they were there.

“Okay. I have a plan. It might not work, but it might just do the trick.”

The men had been hesitant when she explained it and she could tell they thought it wouldn’t work, but that only made Meena more determined. It would work. She’d make sure of that.

They all got into position and Meena nodded at Chip. 

Inside the control room, an alarm started going off. If she concentrated, she could hear the droids trying to figure out what was causing it. But she ignored them. Instead, Meena focused entirely on Chip. His eyes were glued on his data pad and she gripped her sabers on her belt, waiting for his signal.

Then he gave it.

Meena leapt forward as the doors to the control room opened. Before any of the droids even had the chance to react, she had already taken out three. The alarm Chip had set off meant that the majority of the droids had all gathered around one control panel, far enough away from the button that would alert the rest of the base. A few blaster shots from behind her hit a few of the droids. 

The droids had recovered enough to start firing back and Meena switched to blocking as many of the shots as she could while her men fired, taking down a few more. Then she noticed how the droids had positioned themselves and smirked. It was just too easy.

Meena threw her right saber, using her left to continue blocking shots. The blue saber arced across the room, bathing it in blue light. She felt the pull of the Force and leaned into it. Her arm shot up in the air and seconds later her saber collided with her hand. She felt the cold metal and brought her arm down, swinging her sabers and falling back into a ready stance. But she didn’t need to.

She watched as the droids that had been standing in a semi-circle around the room all fell to the ground, various parts cut off or missing entirely. When she was sure none of them were moving, Meena relaxed her stance and turned off her sabers.

She turned to face her men who were frozen. If she could see their faces, she could imagine what they looked like and it made her smirk.

“Let’s get the intel and get out.” Meena said and it knocked her men out of their trance. Chip rushed forward and plugged in his datapad, downloading as much information as he could. Tank, Dev, and Meena gathered the droids and piled them all out of sight of the doors. That way if another droid did come in, they wouldn’t see the carnage right away, hopefully buying them some more time. 

“Got it.” Chip said as he unplugged his datapad.

“Alright, let’s get out of here.” Meena said and Chip and Dev were out of the room first. She watched as Tank stopped to scoop up one of the droids blasters before slinging it over his back.

Tank saw her face and said, “What? I’ve always wanted a clanker’s blaster.” 

Meena shook her head but didn’t say anything. If he wanted to keep a blaster, far be it from her to tell him no. 

Carefully and quietly they began to pick their way back through the factory, hoping to go out the same way they came in. 

_“General are you there?”_ Archer’s voice crackled over her comm and Meena tucked herself into the wall to help mute the sound.

“Yes. We’ve got the intel and are working at getting out now. What’s your status?”

_“We planted explosives in their shipping port and around their weapons cache and weren’t spotted. Mack managed to hotwire a ship and we’re waiting just at the treeline for you.”_

“Give us five minutes.” Meena said and Archer confirmed. With a quick glance at her men to make sure they were still alright and they all nodded. She started moving, knowing her men were right behind her.

Before she knew it, they had made it back to the door they had entered. Meena exited first, looking up and around to make sure they wouldn’t be spotted. She gave the go ahead for her men and they took off across the openspace. Meena hung back just for a second, watching their backs. When her men made it to the trees, she ducked her head and sprinted the last of the distance before dropping to the floor, skidding to a messy stop beside Archer and saw the rest of her men heading for the hovering ship just ahead of them.

“You’re late.” Archer said and Meena stared at him.

“What?”

“It was 6 minutes and 23 seconds. Not five minutes.” Archer’s face was serious, but the slight lit in his tone of voice gave him up as being a tease. Meena rolled her eyes.

“Oh shut up. Let’s get on the ship and get out of here.”

Together they rose and ran for the ship. Meena jumped on, followed closely by Archer. She instantly pulled out her comm unit.

Seconds later Master Plo Koon appeared. 

_“Knight Rhals. I’m guessing you’re calling because you were successful.”_ He said and Meena smiled softly before looking at her men. 

“We did Master. We haven’t hit the detonator yet, but as soon as we do you should be clear to begin your attack.” Meena said, noticing her men as they patted each other on the back for the completion of their first mission.

_“Excellent work young Meena. We will begin our attack after the base is blown. When you get back to your ship, you’re welcome to make a stop aboard our ship to refuel.”_ Master Plo Koon said and Meena nodded.

“See you soon Master. May the Force be with you.” She said and he returned the wish of luck before signing off. The forest around them fell silent except for the hum of the ship and Meena noticed her men turn to look at her. “You heard him, let’s blow this factory and get out of here.”

There had briefly been some arguing about who would get the chance to hit the detonator before it was decided that Tank would get the first honors (also with the stipulation that they’d rotate the opportunity). 

The blast shook the ship and nearly all of them were knocked off balance, Meena included. They watched the base burn for a few moments before the humming of gunships filled the air. The squad stayed a few minutes longer to watch the ship’s first pass at the large factory before her and Mack piloted them out of there and towards their own ship.

Within the hour they were touching down in the docking bay of the 104th battalion’s cruiser. 

Master Plo Koon was waiting for them when they disembarked, his clone commander Wolffe standing by his side looking every bit stoic as Meena had heard he was. Brief introductions were made before her men followed Commander Wolffe so they could restock their ship. 

Meena and Master Plo Koon went on a walk through the ship and attended a brief meeting with the rest of the Council to report on the mission. The Council had been extremely pleased with how the mission went, despite it unfolding differently than expected. They instructed Meena to return to Coruscant to rest a few days before continuing on a few missions they had for her squad. Her heart thudded in her chest and she thanked them, wondering if they were asking her to come back to give her a chance to see her sister. She really hoped that was the case.

The Council signed off, once again offering their praises which had Meena squirming. She was never good at receiving compliments.

Either way, Meena thanked Master Plo Koon for letting them refuel and he returned the sentiment for what she and her squad had done. She headed back to their ship, which had been restocked and was ready to go.

Meena was quick to get clearance to leave and they were on their way to Coruscant before she knew it. She’d sent Mack off to get some sleep, insisting she was fine. She could probably use the rest, but her mind was loud and she knew it was pointless to even try.

She leaned back in the pilot’s chair, forcing herself to take deep breaths. Meena was worried about her sister. _Insanely_ worried. And she had to calm her breathing if she wanted to sneak her worry past her men who were _remarkably_ good at being able to tell when something was bothering her. 

Although Meena hated it, she drew upon her training and pushed all of her feelings to the back of her mind. She’d deal with them later.

Right now, she had missions to complete. She’d see her sister soon.

Or she hoped she would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first real chapter of the fic. The chapter itself is one of the longest, but it's setting up a lot of characters you'll see throughout the rest of the fic. I hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> Let me know what you think of Meena and her squad! Thank you for reading!!


	3. Trials of Being Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All rights to Disney and Lucasfilm!
> 
> Original characters and their plots are ours!

Aela walked through the halls of the Jedi Temple alone. 

She had done it. She passed her Trials. And now she was now on her way to the Hall of Knighthood for her Knighting Ceremony. 

Everything had happened so fast, especially since the Battle of Geonosis. Aela knew that the Council had pushed many of the older padawans to take the trials, which included her. Her Master, Taro Veln, had expressed confidence in her before they left for Geonosis. She didn't share his confidence and she would never get to tell him that she had finally passed because he never returned. 

Many Jedi perished during that first battle with the Confederacy of Independent systems and the start of the War. She remembered the feeling she’d experienced when she felt their bond break. It was a pain unlike any other. All younglings had been told how strong the bond between a Master and a padawan was and how devastating it was for it to be broken, but Aela never imagined it happening to her. 

Jedi were not supposed to have attachments, but Aela couldn’t help but miss her Master. 

He was a kind Kel Dor who had always pushed her to be the best person she could be. She owed the person she was to him. One of her greatest trials so far was learning to let go of him and she had struggled. She still wasn't sure if she had moved past it. 

She rounded another corner and entered the main hall of the Temple. She could see the door to the Hall of Knighthood at the end of the corridor. Aela took a deep breath before she reached the door. This was it. All that she had worked for her entire life was right in front of her. The doors opened revealing a dark room where she could see the members of the High Council standing in a circle. 

Taking another breath, Aela walked to the center of the room and awaited the council. She glanced around the room and took in the Jedi in attendance. She felt a pang of sadness as she realized her Master would have been there, should have been there, to see her complete her training. Aela had also hoped they would have allowed her sister who had also been knighted recently to attend but the Jedi had their formalities. She made eye contact with Master Shaak Ti, Meena’s master, who gave her a small smile. 

They all ignited their lightsabers and Aela kneeled as Master Mace Windu approached her. Aela bowed her head as Master Windu began. 

“By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee Knight of the Republic.” He then took his lightsaber and lowered it to her shoulder and in a swift upward motion cut off her padawan braid. “Rise, Jedi Knight Aela Rhals.” 

Aela stood and gave a deep bow to the members of the Council. The Council members began to file out of the room. Many of them shaking Aela’s hand or placing a hand on her shoulder in congratulations as they left. Most of the council left by the time Master Shaak Ti had approached Aela. 

“Congratulations Aela.” Master Ti said with a nod of her head. 

“Thank you Master Ti.” Aela replied back with a small bow. 

“Master Veln would have been proud of you.” Master Ti said with a smile. Aela couldn’t help it when her smile disappeared. “I know you miss him and wished for him to be here, but that is not what the Force willed.”

Aela opened her mouth to reply but struggled when she didn’t know what to say. Master Ti placed her hand on Aela’s shoulder. “All you can do now is honor his teachings and follow his path as a Knight of the Jedi order.”

“I will wear that title proudly.” Aela finally replied. 

“Good.” Master Ti smiled. Aela glanced over Master Ti’s shoulder looking for her sister who had said she would be waiting after her trials and she hadn’t seen her sister since before she began her trials a few days ago. Shaak Ti had apparently noticed Aela’s gaze because she cleared her throat to get Aela’s attention. “Meena has been sent on a mission to Ajan Kloss with her new squad. She asked me to tell you to comm her after you had finished your trials.”

Aela swallowed. “Of course. Thank you Master Ti.”

The togruta nodded. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must head back to Kamino.” 

Aela bowed to the Jedi Master and watched as she walked out of the chamber and into the Temple. Aela took a deep breath to recenter herself after the long events of the past week and began the long walk back to her quarters. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Aela woke to the buzzing of her comm unit. She stumbled off of her bed and grabbed the small device. 

_“Knight Rhals, the Council requests your presence immediately.”_ She recognized the voice as Master Windu’s. 

“On my way Master.” Aela said while wiping the sleep out of her eyes. She began putting on her robes and fastened her belt around her. Grabbing her lightsaber she strode out of her room. The sun was just beginning to rise above the skyline, illuminating the upper levels of Coruscant. It didn’t look any different than usual but it felt different to Aela. 

She was now a Jedi Knight and despite the war that had just broken out, she felt happy and proud. Eager to start her duties she hurried to the Council chambers at the top of the Temple.

Aela was summoned in as soon as she got there and bowed to the Jedi Masters present. She noticed a large number of them were missing. The war had dragged most of the Jedi out and into the galaxy these days. 

“You summoned me Masters?” Aela said with a bow. 

“Ready for your first assignment, are you?” Master Yoda questioned. 

“Yes, I am ready to serve.”

“Good, we are sending you to Ryloth to help take down a communications base.” Master Windu said. “Master Kenobi is already there with the 212th and I will be heading there shortly.”

“Will I be joining one of your battalions?”

“No, you are being promoted to General and will be leading a small squad of clones that specialize in missions like this one. You will be leaving in a few hours.”

“Understood.” Aela once again bowed to the Council and exited the room. 

General of the Grand Army of the Republic.

She smiled to herself as she walked towards the quartermaster to retrieve her gear. She’d be leading men of her own. She felt a rush of uncertainty. Aela was going to be in charge of the lives of men and as nervous as she was, she swore that she would protect them and lead them as best as she could. 

Aela was on board a ship that was going to take her to Ryloth within two hours of her meeting with the Council. She sat near the window of the ship that was carrying her and supplies for the campaign on Ryloth. She watched as the ship left the atmosphere and the stars turned into the blue streaks of hyperspace. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The ship that carried Aela to Ryloth just breached the atmosphere and was immediately met with gunfire. The ship shook violently causing Aela to stumble slightly. She grasped the handles above her.

“General!” The pilot’s voice came over the ship's comm, “We are approaching the landing site but receiving a lot of fire.”

The doors of the gunship opened revealing a small communications base that was currently under attack. Aela could see a group of six clones laying down fire and pinned down by the landing strip. 

_Her squad._

Well, she wouldn’t get much of an introduction before they actually started working together. 

“Just get me as close as you can!” Aela yelled back, unclipping her saber from her belt. The ship veered sideways to dodge an incoming missile.

“I can’t get any closer!” the pilot exclaimed over the hum of the battle below them. 

“Don’t worry about it!” Aela started. “Just get clear of here after I jump.”

After a confirmation from the pilot, Aela took a deep breath before leaping from the gunship. It wasn’t a huge distance but enough to send a jolt through her legs as she rolled in front of the cover that the squad was using. She ignited her saber and began deflecting the bolts back at the droid forces. 

She heard a voice call orders behind her and soon a shape of a clone materialized beside her. He wore pauldrons and blast protection kamas. Must be their Commander. He returned fire along with the rest of the squad who had joined them. 

“Move forward!” Aela commanded as she broke into a jog still blocking bolts. There weren’t that many droids left outside. They made quick work of the rest of the droids and their Commander ordered the rest to make a sweep of the base and make sure that it was cleared. The troopers fanned out and began their checks.

Aela put her saber back on her belt and looked down at the remains of a B-1 battle droid at her feet. So, this is going to be her enemy for the foreseeable future. She kicked it out of the way before returning her gaze to the Commander who was now approaching her, his helmet now tucked under his arm. She met him halfway.

He snapped into attention and gave her a salute. 

“CC-2246 reporting.” He said rigidly. Aela took a second to take him in. 

He, like most clones, was very tall and had regulation cut black hair. His face rested in a calculating expression as he looked straight forward, clear over Aela’s head. 

“Hello. My name is Aela Rhals, your new General.” Aela extended her hand out. “I look forward to working with you.”

The Commander brought his eyes back down to look at her and flicked his eyes to her hand then back up to her face. He paused a second before also reaching out and grasping firmly and shaking it. 

“Now, what’s your name?” Aela questioned.

“My brothers call me Voss.” He responded.

“It’s nice to meet you Voss.” Aela turned and gestured to the base where the rest of his squad was emerging from. “Care to introduce me to the other men?”

Voss nodded his head before turning and walking in the direction of the base where the other clones had gathered after clearing the base. A bubble of nerves and excitement grew inside of Aela, but she didn’t let it faze her. 

She had an opportunity to do something great with this squad and she couldn’t wait for the chance.

Together, Aela and her new squad had cleaned up the base in no time and were onboard a ship to Master Kenobi’s position to help with his efforts. 

While they worked, Voss had introduced her to the squad one by one before reinforcements had arrived. She had talked with them and learned more from them individually before they loaded up to go to the next drop off point. 

Edge was Voss’ second in command and actually earned his name from Voss. He had said that he always put Voss on edge and the name stuck. 

Copper was their mechanical guy, if anything was a machine he’d be the one to fix it. Edge had also told her that Copper, or Cop for short, always seemed to get in trouble and to keep an eye on him. That comment had earned a shove from his brother. Aela relaxed instantly as she got to know her men. 

Bones was their medic, who looked too stressed for his own good. He greeted her warmly before turning to Drift who had gotten some bruising from their fight. 

Drift was their weapons junky and sniper. Aela learned very quickly that he spoke exclusively in sarcasm, which Aela for one respected as she often fell into that type of speech. 

And lastly was Blu, he was much more reserved than his brothers and was constantly messing with his datapad checking all sorts of information they’d gathered. 

They all seemed to work well together and Aela hoped that she would fit in just as well.

Their transport ship was only a klick away from their drop position when Edge noticed something strange. Aela had borrowed his specs and instantly fixed on what he had. A small group of droids had captured a dozen or so twi’leks who must have been hiding out in the nearby village.

“Drop us here!” Aela called over her comm to the pilot and he didn’t even hesitate, only bringing the ship down not far from the droids but far enough away that they wouldn’t notice. 

She was the first one off the transport ship and her men were right behind her. The pilot told them that he’d continue on and meet them at the meeting position. Aela had agreed and the small squad took cover as the ship took off. 

Voss appeared beside her as Aela borrowed Edge’s specs again to get a look at the droids and the twi’leks at the bottom on the ridge.

“Do you have any ideas, General?” He asked and Aela smirked. She pulled the specs back from her eyes and looked at her Commander.

“Loads.” She said. “It’ll depend on which one you think will work the best.”

“Let’s hear what you have.” Voss said and they crawled back down the ridge to the rest of the squad. 

Aela relayed her ideas and Voss instantly scoured.

“That’s a really bad idea General.” He said and she was only amused.

“I happen to think it’s a great idea.” Aela countered. “What do the rest of you think?”

At first, it looked like none of them were going to speak up, but finally Edge cleared his throat.

“As far as plans go, it’s not the safest. But if you think it’ll work, then I’m in.” Edge said and Aela could feel the frustration already radiating off of her Commander.

Oh they were going to get along just great.

Drift spoke up next. “I can provide cover from up here. That should help negate some of the risk.” 

“And as long as I get to blow something up I’m totally onboard.” Copper’s inflection made it sound like a joke, but Aela was 99.9% sure that it was definitely not a joke.

“I don’t like the danger that’s involved, but I suppose that’s why I’m here.” Bones sighed, already digging around in his medic’s bag for what he was sure he would end up needing.

Blu had been typing away at his datapad, but spoke up last. “I’ve run the numbers and the plan is solid. As long as it goes off exactly as planned we’ll be successful.”

Aela turned to look at Voss who only angrily put on his bucket. “Fine. But I want it on the record that I think this is a stupid plan.”

“Noted. We’re doing it anyway.” Aela said. “Get into your positions and wait for my signal.”

The men scattered and she scrambled up to the top of the ridge. She quickly turned her belt so that her saber was dangling down at her back, hoping the B1 battle droids were stupid enough not to notice. Aela quickly also tucked in the supplies she’d gotten from Drift and checked with Voss who’d reached his position a little further down from her.

She couldn’t see his face, but she knew he was annoyed. Which amused her to no end.

He gave her a nod and it was her turn. 

She quickly picked her way down the ridge and ducked behind a tree. Aela waited for the right moment before joining the small group of twi’leks at the back. She met eyes with a few of them and their eyes had widened with fear. She held her finger to her mouth and motioned to her saber. They didn’t speak, but Aela could tell they perked up.

She turned from the twi’leks as they continued to walk down the dirt path and looked at the B1 battle droids leading them.

They’d been walking for a minute or so before one of them noticed her.

“Hey! Where did you come from?” The high-pitched whine of the droid was enough to almost make her start laughing. But she held it in.

Aela looked around her before turning back to the droid as they all stopped moving. She pointed to herself.

“Who? Me?” 

“Yes you! Where did you come from?” The B1 droid moved closer, while the others exchanged looks.

“I’ve been here the whole time.” Aela said and if it was possible for the droid to blink at her, he’d be doing just that.

“No you haven’t!”

“Yes I have.” She insisted, crossing her arms in annoyance. “You guys really don’t pay attention do you?”

The droid looked back at another one and Aela risked a quick glance to the side. She saw her men moving in closer.

“We do pay attention! You weren’t here before.” He tried to keep countering her, but she could tell by his voice patterns that he was losing confidence.

“I’ve definitely been here the whole time. Can’t you tell we’re the same species?” Aela motioned to the twi’leks standing beside her who were watching the exchange with wide eyes.

She could hear her men snickering over their comms.

The B1 droid didn’t have a face or emotions for that matter, but he was practically oozing confusion. His blaster lowered slightly, as did the rest of the droids as they tried to process what she’d said.

Aela knew it was now or never.

She pulled out a droid popper from her belt and tossed it forward. It took out the three droids nearest her, which wasn’t all of them, but it was enough of a distraction for her to pull out her saber and leap for the nearest droid. 

Blaster fire exploded from the treeline and the twi’leks all moved quickly behind her, away from the droids. As she cut down two more droids, she saw Blu and Bones moving the twi’leks away from the blaster fire and into the woods.

Between Aela slicing any droids down that came within reach of her saber and the rest of her men posted in the trees, the droids were taken down in minutes. When she was sure they were all down, she turned off her saber, realigning her belt to the proper position and clipping it on. 

Voss jogged up to her.

“I told you it would work.”

“And I still think it was stupid.”

Aela opened her mouth to speak when she felt a tap on her arm. She turned to see one of the women in the group of twi’leks they’d freed.

“Thank you.” She said in heavily accented Basic. “You saved us.”

Aela offered her a small smile, something she didn’t do often. “We came here to help you. It’s our job. Now I’m guessing you came from the village just north of here?” She pointed in the direction and the twi’lek looked before turning back and nodding.

“Yes we did.”

“Well, lucky for you we are heading that way anyway. We’ll escort you back home.”

The twi’lek woman gave her arm a firm squeeze before turning back to the remaining twi’leks and relaying the information in their native tongue. They all cheered when she finished and Aela found her chest swelling in pride.

They did good.

She had a good feeling about her squad and their missions if this little side trip was any indication.

By the time they arrived at Kenobi’s position, all the fighting had somewhat ceased. The 212th battalion had destroyed the anti-aircraft cannons and rescued the twi’lek prisoners. 

The twi’leks her squad had rescued were quick to disperse, but the woman she had spoken to had taken a second to thank Aela one more time before hurrying off. She found Kenobi fairly quickly and checked in with him. He’d been surprised to see her, but thanked her for her assistance once she’d told him what they’d done.

He was stretched pretty thin and asked her and her men to check in with the civilians and make sure all the droids had been taken care of throughout the city. She’d happily accepted.

Twi’leks now roamed the city, picking up what was left after the separatist occupation and Aela did her best to help those in need. Her heart broke for all of the people who were affected by this war. The children who had lost everything and those worlds now caught in the fighting. She knew then that she had to fight to end this war as soon as possible, for them and for everyone else suffering in a war they didn’t start.

Her men worked well together as they picked up droids and moved them aside, helping the locals restand up walls and anything else that was needed. As a squad, they’d managed to clear a large section of the city.

A young twi’lek girl had approached her after they had finished moving a tank from the street and given her a gift as appreciation. Jedi weren’t supposed to have material things but Aela couldn’t bring herself to refuse. The little girl didn’t have much, but she had wanted to give Aela something. Sometimes, you just had to accept the idea behind the gift, even if you didn’t want the gift itself. 

So she had accepted with a smile and returned the small hug from the girl. 

Their squad spent the rest of the day helping clean up and providing aid. Before Aela knew it, they were heading for a ship, which would be her and her squad’s new home for the foreseeable future.

The men had already been inside and instantly split off to do their own things. Voss had cornered Aela before she could get too far and let her know her bag had already been put in her bunk and to find him if she had any questions. Aela had only teased him and he left grumbling under his breath about “kriffing Jedi”. 

She was really starting to love her squad.

Blu assisted her in running checks on the ship's functions when she arrived in the cockpit. After making sure everything was ready and clearing with the rest of the men, Aela took the ship into orbit. 

She didn’t know how well her men were going to get along, but she was finally going to be doing something to help with the war effort. She also had no idea what the next mission would bring, but it was starting to feel like it might not be that hard after all. 

Aela was ready for the challenge. She’d prove to the Council that her former Master had been right to believe in her. 

She’d be the best Jedi this galaxy had ever kriffing seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Aela's first chapter is in the books! We hope you enjoyed learning about Aela and her squad on their first mission. We're going to follow canon as closely as we can, just adding a few other players. 
> 
> Let us know what you think of Aela and her squad! We're also happy to answer any questions about them you might have! Thank you for reading and see you next time!


End file.
